One of the possible major leap forwards in terms of Image Quality could come from the use of curved sensors. Sony has plenty of patents showing their ideas but the question is when this tech will be ready for mass production. Now we got news from NHK Technical Research Laboratories:

NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories aims to realize a small, wide-field camera with little distortion. They are continuing their research into a silicon imaging device that is 0.01 mm thick and can be bent freely, and aim to establish the technology to manufacture concavely curved silicon devices by 2025 and put them into practical use by around 2030. NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories has been researching curved image sensors / curved silicon devices for some time now.

Curved sensor allow to get sharp images from corner to corner. Moreover lenses can be about 33% less compact than current lenses because they will not need to use the glass necessary to correct for distortions and loss in sharpness.

But it’s clear that this tech will not be ready any time soon…

–

via DClife

Press text:

May 30, 2024 – Tamron Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Shogo Sakuraba; Headquarters: Saitama City, Japan; “TAMRON”), a leading manufacturer of optics for diverse applications, announces updates of the TAMRON Lens Utility, dedicated computer software, and the TAMRON Lens Utility Mobile, dedicated application for Android*1 OS compatible smartphones and tablets. This update will provide additional functionality for greater convenience in the field and expands the possibilities of still and video photography. The software versions will change from the currently released Ver.2.0 to Ver.3.0, and the updated version will be available for download starting May 30, 2024.

Product Features

Delay Time Start (upgrade to an existing feature)

This feature delays activation of a focus shift after the Focus Set Button has been pressed to activate. This is used to avoid shaking or button noises to be recorded when the Focus Set Button is pressed, and action starts.
* In addition to the Focus Set Button on the lens, this can also be used with the Remote Set Button with the TAMRON Lens Utility Mobile.

Focus Stopper (new feature)

This feature fixes the focus range when manual focus is operated during video shooting. This will prevent the user from over passing the focal point.
* The stopper will automatically be released when switching to AF mode.
* In addition to the Focus Set Button on the lens, this feature could also be controlled from the Remote Set Button featured in the TAMRON Lens Utility Mobile.

Astro Focus Lock (Astro FC-L) (new feature)

This feature fixes the focus on stars, which is useful for astrophotography. The focus is shifted to infinity and operation of the focus ring will be disabled (locked). Locking the focus ring prevents the focus from slipping through inadvertent operation.
* In addition to the Focus Set Button on the lens, this can also be used with the Remote Set Button with the TAMRON Lens Utility Mobile.

Digital Follow Focus (DFF) (new dedicated feature only for TAMRON Lens Utility Mobile)

This feature allows you to fix a focus range between two points and perform focus operations from your smartphone screen, just like follow focus techniques. The direction of rotation of the aperture and focus rings, units indicated, and EV steps can also be changed.
* Aperture ring control and EV step configuration is not supported on Nikon Z mount lenses.

Note:

1 Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
2 Only compatible with Android devices fitted with USB Type-C ports.

Memorial Day Sale Happening Now at Alphagvrd (Click here). Discount automatically applies at checkout.

And Alphagvrd also announced an upcoming Stars and Stipes version:

Recently I have heard about many delays in the launch of cameras: The Canon R5II, the Sony ZV-E10II, the Nikon Z6III, the Leica MD and so on… Now, I know this is all based on rumors of release dates, no company has made any official promises. So this is a speculative post.
But in years past I’ve got Sony camera release dates right, so it’s unusual to hear of a delay in the launch of the Sony ZV-E10II (again, these are rumors from reliable sources). Another interesting fact is that Canon has not launched any new cameras in 12 months (Note: the Canon R1 launch was a development note), Nikon has not announced a new camera in 8 months and Sony in 6 months. This is all rather unusual.

I then tried to investigate the possible causes of the production bottlenecks and found this: Worldwide shipping is experiencing huge delays due to the following reasons:

A surprisingly strong market, plus lower ship capacity due to the Red Sea crisis, is creating a shortage of both ships and containers.

Below I have added a long list of recent statements pointing out that there are indeed big problems in the supply chain.

I know most finished camera stocks are shipped by airplane, but the RAW materials and single components are often not. It is hard to believe that this does not also affect camera/lens production. What do you think?

–

TheLoadster reports:

Vessel waiting time at the port is now three to 14 days, it added, due to port congestion. “Across almost all carriers we are seeing schedule delays.”

and

“Containers are barely arriving at any PRC or Malaysian port (or Singapore) before they are out laden again. The disruptions (port omissions, congestion) are playing total havoc with equipment planning. Across almost all carriers we are seeing schedule delays.”
It also noted that carriers are struggling to obtain containers across many more Chinese ports, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd in Yantian; Cosco, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC in Ningbo, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk in Tianjin, and Cosco and CMA CGM in Qingdao.

And the forecast ain’t’ good:

 “The current market demand defies all projections from six to nine months ago. We are close to what I call “covid19 shipper capitulation” – ie, there is no point fighting this. Just book space forward to ensure transport.

Transinfo reports:

The ongoing crisis in the Red Sea is significantly impacting shipping lines and their costs. Maersk is preparing a series of surcharges to cover a 40% increase in fuel costs. Shipping lines are also addressing an estimated 20% shortage of containers on the market.

And this is Maersk forecast:

Maersk expects the Red Sea crisis to persist until at least the second half of the year, possibly extending into 2024. At a recent conference, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen expressed optimism that the crisis will end before the year’s close.

Wefreight reports:

The delays have caused a domino effect, with extended delivery times now commonplace across global supply chains. For instance, ships are reporting up to a week’s delay in arrival times, significantly impacting downstream operations and inventory levels.

Ajot reports:

This shortage is leading to late arrivals and port omissions as carriers skip some port calls to try and keep up with weekly schedules at major hubs. Delays and omissions are contributing to reports of empty container shortages and congestion due to vessel bunching at some ports in China, with congestion also a problem in Singapore and Malaysia.

Two Years with the Sony A7IV | Everything I Learned

Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
TTArtisan 10mm f2 Lens Review – For Fujifilm, Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus/OM, Panasonic (Rob Trek).
Nikon, Sony and Canon fight AI fakes with new camera tech (Nikkei Asia).
Top Mirrorless Cameras of 2023 (Explora).
Is the Acrylic Photo Album the Perfect Holiday Gift? (42West).
Sony A9III test at Xitek.
35mm or 50mm? –The Best Street Lens (Matti Sulanto).

Follow our new Youtube channel.
Join our SonyAlphaForum.
I kindly invite you all to follow our Discord channel, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, was interviewed by Dpreview. And he made an observation that is very important and where I think Sony is making a mistake: Sony is neglecting the low-end market and focusing too much on the ‘technology’ of the camera instead of the ‘experience’. So let’s see what he said:

Yamaki is worried about the future of the market:

It looks like the trend of the shrinking market has hit the bottom. For the time being, many photographers are now switching from DSLR to mirrorless, which will sustain the market. However, after they switch to mirrorless cameras, I worry that the market could shrink in the coming years.
One reason for my concern is the increasing average price of cameras and lenses. I truly appreciate the passion of the customers who are still spending so much money on cameras and lenses. However, I’m afraid that not so many customers can afford such high-priced cameras and lenses, so we’re still trying hard to keep the retail price reasonable.
Especially these days, the younger generation takes huge amounts of photos with smartphones. While we can expect some of them to switch from a smartphone to a camera, many may find the price gap too wide, and challenging to make the switch.

And I think he is right on how companies should think when making new cameras that can generate sales:

We’ve seen some cameras with very technically impressive specifications, but I worry that they’re not always capabilities that many photographers really need. Moving forward, I speculate that more user-friendly specifications might mean more to customers. Easier to use interfaces, a compact and lightweight body for enhanced portability, or some other specifications might be more important.

The younger generation bought compact fixed-lens cameras that don’t cost TOO much: cameras like the Ricoh GR, old digital cameras and so on. They don’t care if the sensor is small or big, if it has a 5 or 7-stop IBIS… they care that the cameras are fun, affordable and easy to use. Sony should think about making APS-C cameras that are easy to use, don’t you agree?

Topaz released a new major Video AI 5.1 update (features page here). Just recently I told you that Topaz has completely redone the website for their AI software. Check out the new pages at Photo Ai, Video AI, GigaPixel AI.

Press text:

There are several major changes that we’re excited to announce:

1. Instant Rendering (Experimental)

Video AI now renders previews as soon as you click ‘Play’.

Instant renders make the timeline more interactive and allow you to directly compare models with shorter wait times.

2. Frame Interpolation for DaVinci Resolve OFX (macOS + Windows)

Access Apollo, Aion, and Chronos directly from DaVinci Resolve. Convert to slow motion at up to 16x interpolation and make use of Resolve’s retiming controls for smooth speed-ramping.

To use Frame Interpolation in Resolve, be sure to follow the guide posted here. 12

3. New multi-GPU options (Video AI Pro)

Video AI now includes two multi-GPU modes. The existing “All GPUs” option now supports NVIDIA cards running TensorRT models, leading to major utilization increases for systems with 2+ NVIDIA cards. This mode is now named “Single video” under “GPU Settings”.

The second mode, “Multiple videos”, optimizes for large export queues when running on systems with multiple GPUs. We’ll have more to share about this Video AI Pro feature when it launches in June.

4. New Welcome Screen

Quickly reopen projects and resume renders using the new Welcome Page. This is a home for recent projects and includes the ability to select favorites for easy access.

5. Preferences UI Refresh

Navigate settings using the new preferences sidebar with expanded categories and new tooltips.

6. Colorspace settings added to Video Input Options

Set custom colorspace, color primaries, color trc, and color range for video inputs with metadata issues.